"Today we face many problems. Some are created essentially by ourselves based on divisions due to ideology, religion, race, economic status, or other factors. Therefore, the time has come for us to think on a deeper level, on the human level, and from that level we should appreciate and respect the sameness of others as human beings." - Dalai Lama

water color and ink on paper

8x10

let go

*************************
The Greatest Spirit Reality
Love is the greatest of all spirit realities. Truth is a liberating revelation, but love is the supreme relationship. The Urantia Book, Page 1608 (143:1.4)
*************************


dont wait til you can...just do it


yesterday on the treadmill ..i walk not run and carefully at that..i really did "let go". did you know that you can dance on a treadmill? not because you are on a treadmill but in spite of being on it. and sing too. i dont mean mutter along under your breath..i mean sing out..using all your breath.

i had my mp3 player with me. first i listened to 15 minutes of 'bad buddhist radio' talking of right view'. then i put the music on. now if i sing accompanying myself with my guitar it is usually pretty basic 3 chord older country honkytonk music. that is partly because it is easiest to play..but i do like it. i used to listen to it on am radio..i dont even think there was fm then...and sing when i was a kid. but id really like to be able to really sing ...so sometimes i just do it. i did yesterday...sang out...mostly leonard cohen type stuff like 'dance me to the end of love'. i just dropped all inhibitions and really seriously sang out. i didnt care if the windows were open or not. i think i really wanted someone to hear me. by now im not going very fast on the treadmill but no matter.

then i found myself doing a few steps in time to the music and i found i could adjust the speed so that i could dance right there on the treadmill. now i dont generally dance in public tho i certainly did back in the day. seems like when i quit drinking i lost my dancing skills. anyway i started dancing the afternoon away there on the treadmill. i dont mean any hokey jumping around aimlessly flapping my elbows but dancing....modern jazz maybe type dancing. soulful stuff like tango is.

i always wanted to learn to tango. and i still do. when we lived in florida we had a neighbor ..edie..who stopped in frequently to chat or drink tea or espresso and sometimes eat some soup if i had made any. she liked my art. she was a little older than us but not by much. during ww2 she had walked across poland with her mother and sister and a horse and wagon. anyway edie knew how to tango. i dont know how she ever learned ...she is married to a great guy a slovak of some sort who would much rather fool with a steam engine of some sort than partake in social or cultural events. he is a great friendly guy though and stopped by on his bicycle in the mornings some and drank coffee on his way to look for treasures alongside the road. so anyway no matter how she learned ...and maybe he did tango with her at some time regardless of my profiling...she could do it. i only learned this shortly before we moved here else i might quite possibly have learned from her.

i have found a place here....nearby anyhow....not in lipscomb ... so maybe there still is hope if i can but convince carol to go.

meanwhile its nice to know that you can dance on a treadmill.


From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

bodhisattva

"This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness." - Dahli Lama

this is not to dismiss the validity of anyones religion or their particular practice but simply to say that if our heart is right and we endeavor to to be kind and compassionate to all of mankind then we are on the right path.

a non buddhist woman..a christian i believe..blind and an artist.. created this buddha image for her son who is a buddhist.

name tags just dont necessarily mean much

i originally was going to put up an image of mother teresa unquestionably a bodhisattva as her life was dedicated to helping others the poor...the poorest of the poor...regardless of their race, sex, religious beliefs or lack thereof or any other differences. i liked however that the mother was able to overcome the difference in the beliefs of her and her son and to do something that was meaningful to him and his belief without thought of trying to "convert" him.

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

meaningless rant

Downtown

9x12 linoleum blockprint on paper

certainly not the crowd that was in dc yesterday for the inaugriation. it is amazing that there was any order at all ..or could it have been that ther was simply no room for being disorderly.

twice i have been to dc. both times with the "run for the wall" a motorcycle group of mostly veterans that begins in california and travels across the nation on motorcycles to join in 'rolling thunder' ...a parade and demonstration held in honor of and to bring attention to pow/mia's...pows from all wars who are still unaccounted for. we rode only a few hundred miles each day for we stopped and placed wreaths on memorials alon the way and at va medical centers to honor those veterans and we stopped at schools sometimes letting the kids sit on the bikes. we camped each night along the way.

i got on one year here in bessemer as they traveled past the 19th st approach headed to chattanooga. another year i met up in meridian mississippi where we slept at the rodeo arena.

that year we rode in the rain all the way and spent memorial day weekend in the rain in dc. when i got on there would be maybe 100 or so bikes but picking up riders along the way we wouls end up in roanoke with maybe 600....where we joined another part of our group who had taken the northern route. in dc various clubs and groups joined us until on parade day we filled the pentagon parking lot.

all in all it was quite a interesting and moving experience....especially as the first time i went it was the memorial day following '9-11'. maybe ill post some photos sometime.

i didnt know what i was going to write when i sat down here but this wasnt even in my thoughts til i mentioned crowds in dc.

i went up to the studio earlier just to...???.. in spite of the cold i decided to paint just a little. as i was about to quit i picked up an atomizer to spray some water and tho it was full it didnt spray. the water in it was still frozen. i asked my self "self what in the world are you doing up here?." and i closed up and came down the hill and put another log on the fire.

more later maybe....im having some coffee now

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

the new revolution

The Little Red Hen
Sara Cone Bryant (Retold from Joseph Jacobs)

One day as the Little Red Hen was scratching in a field, she found a grain of wheat.
"This wheat should be planted," she said. "Who will plant this grain of wheat?"
"Not I," said the Duck.
"Not I," said the Cat.
"Not I," said the Dog.
"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And she did.
Soon the wheat grew to be tall and yellow.
"The wheat is ripe," said the Little Red Hen. "Who will cut the wheat?"
"Not I," said the Duck.
"Not I," said the Cat.
"Not I," said the Dog.
"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And she did.
When the wheat was cut, the Little Red Hen said, "Who will thresh the wheat?"
"Not I," said the Duck.
"Not I," said the Cat.
"Not I," said the Dog.
"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And she did.
When the wheat was threshed, the Little Red Hen said, "Who will take this wheat to the mill?"
"Not I," said the Duck.
"Not I," said the Cat.
"Not I," said the Dog.
"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And she did.
She took the wheat to the mill and had it ground into flour. Then she said, "Who will make this flour into bread?"
"Not I," said the Duck.
"Not I," said the Cat.
"Not I," said the Dog.
"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And she did.
She made and baked the bread. Then she said, "Who will eat this bread?"
"Oh! I will," said the Duck.
"And I will," said the Cat.
"And I will," said the Dog.
"No, No!" said the Little Red Hen. "I will do that." And she did.



*****************

in the coming days

lets not forget the story of the little red hen

we have hope

we have a new beginning

let us not think that the future is left up to our new president

the future is the responsibility of all of us and president obama



**************


From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

near the beginning of the gulf war i painted an arab holding an injured [or dead] child. i would like to post it here but i cant find a photo of it.
the original was traded to [get this...i love this part] a muslim woman ..an artist friend of mine and a wonderful person.. for a copy of a beautiful photograph she had taken and framed ....of a torah scroll.

an interesting transaction???

here is where the painting would be

********************

the united states really needs to take a stand against israels treatment of palestinians. im not at all advocating war nor is this a statement against the jewish religion. the palestinians are a people in their own right and deserve a country of their on including rights to the holy land just as jews and christians should.
what israel is doing in gaza is about as unholy as anything i can think of and is totally inhumane. it makes me sick.
i can only hope that president obama will take a stance on this massacre.
sneering george bush and condoleeza rice really need to take pause and look i inside themselves for their action and/or inaction on this.

it is beyond "right" and "wrong"

*************************************************

"it came to me that every time i lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them.

and every new dog who comes into my life gives me the gift of a piece of their heart

if i live long enough, all parts of my heart will be dog, and i will become as generous and loving as they are"

author unknown

.......

i really want to go out and work on ebbies cart today but it is cold enough that i dont stay out very long at a time

good fortune to all




From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

primal concubine

Among the most delicate and beautiful of creatures she ..at the height of her loveliness.. falls into a deep trancelike sleep never to awaken but never to die
It is from this spell that some .. those who wonder and dream ..those who see magic ..that join in the dance and hear the music in their head.. those that look into the sun and bathe in the springs
Are born and then love

small pen and ink with watercolor

*****

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

BIRMINGHAM PEACE PROJECT

click on image for better reading

we will do well to recognize what we all have in common
rather than dwelling on our differences

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

a gift from the tyrant

what a touching gesture


isnt it nice that the bush clan can leave half a million dollars worth of china for the whitehouse. just what they need. did the old just need replacing or have they been eating from paper plates all along.
a great many people eat from dishes from the thrift store. some dont have enough to eat to cause concern about their tableware





'sneering tyrant'
ink on paper

it will be gift enough for the tyrant to just be gone.

there is brush to be cut at the ranch.

12 days to go.


"a bone to the dog is not charity.


charity is sharing the bone with the dog


when you are just as hungry as he is"


jack london






From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

killing for peace

KILLING for PEACE


how many civilians must be killed to buy peace?
isnt that a stupid question?
it seems that in most if not all the wars going on right now ..in the name of "religion". "peace", "democracy" and other such 'desirable' things.. more innocent civilians and children are being killed than bad guys.
this baffles me
shall we just keep killing until everyone who differs from us in any way is dead..until each of us is the last one standing.
then have we won? proudly put our foot on the chest of dead mothers and children and raise our guns in victory in the name of our cause? ......we have WON peace.....

oil on masonite

painted during some war news
[there is plenty of it]

the madonna

16"x20 oil on canvas

painted from my wife carol and daughter

represents that all mothers are madonnas and

that all children are the blessed one

*********

"What triggers you can get less and less in your life. But, you know, if you're trying to avoid being triggered, I read something recently where someone said that's like becoming a celibate nun like me or monk and then trying to get rid of all the sexually attractive people in the world in order to keep your vows. You know, it just doesn't work. You have to work on your side of it, you know? ."..........................pema chodron

**

"This lousy world, this lousy people, this lousy government, this lousy everything. Lousy weather, lousy blah blah blah blah. Pissed off, you know, it's too hot in here, it's too cold, I don't like the smell and, the person is too tall in front, and -- too fat next to me, and they're wearing perfume and I'm allergic, and just -- unnnh! So he says, the analogy is that you're barefooted, it's like being barefooted and walking across blazing-hot sand or across cut glass. Or in a field with thorns. And your feet are bare, and you say, this is just, you know, it's really hurting, it's terrible, it's too sharp, it's too painful, it's too hot. Do I have a great idea! I am just going to cover the whole, everywhere I go, I'm going to cover it with leather. And then it won't hurt my feet anymore. That's like saying, "I'm going to get rid of her and get rid of him and get the temperature right, and I'm going to ban perfume in the world and, you know, there will be no, nothing that bothers me anywhere. There -- I am going to get rid of everything, including mosquitoes, that bothers me, anywhere in the world, and then I will be a very happy, content person." We're laughing, but it's what we all do. That is how we do approach things. We think, if we could just get rid of them or cover it with leather, then our pain would go away. Well, sure, because, you know, then it wouldn't be cutting our feet anymore -- I mean, it's just logical, isn't it? But it doesn't make any sense, really. So he [shantideva] said, "but if you simply wrap the leather around your feet" -- in other words, shoes -- then you could walk across the boiling sand and the cut glass and the thorns, and it wouldn't bother you. So the analogy is, if you work with your mind, instead of trying to change everything on the outside, that's how your temper will cool down. "

pema chodron

***

we can never have world peace until we are at peace with our neighbor

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

jones' dock

the baithouse

jones himself was quite a character. one of his many enterprises was this baithouse on the anclote river. it was never really a moneymaker but it was frequented by a range of motley characters.. shrimpers, mullet fishermen, winos, hangers on, and such... both night and day. the boat in the center brought back cuban refugees during the mariel boatlift in the early 70s. i ran a bait shrimp boat [not in the painting] from here. it was a source of quite meager income for me when i met carol. she went with me several nights to pick shrimp and make coffee. most of the boats around there were older and some in ill repair. much later she told me she was terrified each time but went with me only as part of her plan to capture me [we have been married or shacked up for 30 something years]. up town at ruth pantas' goldcup restaurant needing a deckhand for the night with a few beers i convinced one afternoon a townsman 'smokey' a carnival worker to go with me. about halfway up to the shrimp grounds smokey asked me.."how much will you make tonight?"..."if i give you that will you take me back to the dock right now?". i kept going and he suffered through the night. he was afraid of everything we caught in the nets. im not sure if he ever forgave me. those were interesting if lean days. ive had lots of jobs but never a career but most of the jobs have been quite interesting. i wouldnt have stayed with them otherwise. experiences were always more important to me than money.

the painting is oil on masonite. it was sold but is around 12"x18".

*****************

there is no news that i know of here in lipscomb today.

yesterday i planted some rye and clover seeds in the rows where i plant vegetables over in the chicken lot. i had them leftover from planting in my clover patch here. the rye and clover should introduce lots of nitrogen to the soil for spring planting over there.

good fortune to all

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

karma and the pit

karma
The word [karma] penetrated the Western consciousness, from the Buddhist point of view at least, in somewhat distorted guise. It is often called the Law of Cause and Effect, so it is about the consequences and actions of the body, speech and mind. And consequences are very important in Buddhism. Any action that is willed, however subtly, by the person who performs it will always produce a future "ripening" and ultimately a "fruit" of similar moral quality, because in the human sphere karma operates in an ethical manner. So an unethical action will produce a come-back of like kind in this life or some future rebirth; and the same goes for morally good or indifferent actions that are willed and freely undertaken. In the Bible it says something similar: that we reap what we sow. If we want to progress spiritually--or even just live with minimum aggravation--it therefore behooves us to be very careful how we speak and act, for there is no way we can escape the consequences.
- John Snelling

************

primal abyss

...16x20 oil on canvas...

**

coming up from the abyss..ascent of man

**

sisyphus .. condemned to roll a boulder up and over the edge of the abyss..only to have it..as he neared the top..to roll back down again

The workman of today works every day in his life at the same tasks, and this fate is no less absurd. But it is tragic only at the rare moments when it becomes conscious

being abstracted it is not entirely clear but at the top left of the painting is village. it is separated however by a great chasm from the trail of man coming up from the pit. having escaped the fire they nevertheless are still separated from their goal.

**

i have heard of [i belive this is true but it really doesnt matter] a tribe somewhere on the continent of africa that is/was doomed to spend their entire life..whole families..generations of them..down in a mine pit ..either gold or diamonds. supplies adequate for their existence were sent down to them but they were never allowed to come up from the pit.

************

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

*

happy new year

happy new year

a new beginning

here is adam kadmon [jewish mysticism] primal man

the essence of man... haveing always been

9x12 block print

drawn at a sketch group and carved on a linoleum block and printed on paper

************

"The world is in fact a seamless and dynamic unity, a single living organism that is constantly undergoing change. Our minds, however, chop it up into separate, static bits and pieces, which we then try mentally and physically to manipulate "--John Snelling, Elements of Buddhism

***********

the beginning of a new year

i am of course going to start the new year with blackeyed peas, pork, and cabbage.

today as everyday is also the beginning of the rest of my life...and at any moment could become the end of it....if there is really an end .

"plan as if you will live foreverlive as if you will die today" james dean

*********

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

new years eve

we can prepare today for a new beginning. tonight people will declare new resolutions. they will swear off bad habits...some write their resolutions on paper....some write their bad habits ....sins of 2008 ...or resentments.... on bits of paper and cast them into the fire. it will remain to be seen how many will actually change their ways... make amends for their sins...forgive their enemies. surely each of us has some area in our lives which would benefit from change. change is hard sometime but we would do well to after an honest look at ourselves to really put out some effort to affect positive change in our lives and in our interaction with others. im going to try.
***"All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness.the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives." Dalai Lama
***********************
the painting is a small [ 5x7 i believe] watercolor. she is the primal mother. we still have access to her as we are and always have been a part of the whole with no separateness of our 'selves'. a whole which has always existed in the moment.
********
from forbes.com : "Dozens of the world's wealthiest lost billions in recent months"
".... His [david ross] fortune, which we estimated at $1.4 billion in March, is now worth about $150 million........."
"...a fortune [Oleg Deripaskawe's] estimated to be worth $28 billion. ............now estimated at $10 billion. Or less..."
**
this is the financial news and concern. not much said about the "fortunes" of most of the people of the world including me and most likely you as well. their losses require lots of zeros....mine put my "fortune" much closer to zero. that is the financial news that is important to me.
what is the difference in the plight of the american worker who lives ..sometimes barely..from paycheck to paycheck...and the proletariat of communism? the difference unquestionably narrows as the gap between the haves and the havenots in america widens.
*********

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

something isnt right

there are people, real people, living under ground..in tunnels..and in cardboard boxes.
living there..for years.. not just spending the night.
not in india nor in brazil
but
here in the united states of america.
something just isnt right about that.
eliminate if you choose the drug addicts and alcoholics..those there by choice..those who dont want to work
and
there are still people, real people, living underground..in tunnels..and in cardboard boxes.
here in the united states of america
people who just cant find their way out.



From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

ebbie and the plan

"He who has a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how'."
- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

the plan is to begin to aquire the parts....mainly wheels...to build a cart for ebbie to pull.

oh..you dont know ebbie?

ebbie is my dog.....pyrenees mix. she is the off spring of a rescue dog. we got her from olivia who always has a pack of rescue dogs. she is particular where they go. her mother is great pyrenees. her sister libby weighed like 80 lbs when she was 8 mos old. ebbie is 2 mos shy of 2 years and weighs around 70 lbs. she is well behaved but that is because she chooses to be... she is a faithful companion to me but is very independent. she sleeps in the house at night but would just as soon be out in the cold rain. it doesnt bother her a bit and she loves it outside. my studio is up the hill from the house and has a small deck/porch on the front of it. that is her favorite place. she can sit up there and survey almost all of her holdings. pyrenees are guard dogs for farm animals..sheep, goats, alpacas etc. they protect against all intruders from butterflies to grizzly bears and wolves in the pyrenees mountains in france and spain. they also are used as draft dogs hence the cart for her.

she got her harness in the mail on saturday and didnt mind at all that we put it on her even tho we fumbled around quite a bit untangling and figuring it all out. she doesnt mind at all walking around the chicken lot with it on ..traces and a singletree dragging behind her. by the time i get a cart built im sure she will be more than ready to pull it. she acts as though she was already trained for it.

they have been bred for it for years.

maybe she can pull a float next year in the christmas parade.

carol took her running yesterday for 2 or 3 miles. she loves that.

good fortune to all for the day.

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

block prints

these are 9x12 linoleum block prints

mother teresa was done from a painting i had done

the christ was done from the mother teresa

the similarity is intentional

a few copies have been sold

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

christmas

merry christmas

to all

ted & carol & the dogs

the card is brush and ink
sumi-e

















From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

christmas eve

this was our entry in the lipscomb christmas parade. kids loved it. did you even know that lipscomb has a christmas parade? my jeep which we used to pull it is pretty ratty looking to pull a christmas train like this so carol wrapped it in christmas paper and garland and greenry and gold balls with a big red bow on it. brenda renzs grand daughters stood in the back of the jeep and smiled and threw candy and just had a generally good time spreading christmas cheer. carol rang the bell and i blew the whistle. when we got home we just left the train in the front yard as part of our outdoor decorations..which we were late getting up this year.

we wish everyone everywhere a merry christmas

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows

wasteland and pant

i noticed yesterday that we use a lot of paper plates and paper towels. now it really doesnt make a lot of sense to me. cut down a treethat took some years to grow..cut it down..make some paper..use the plate or towel for usually only a few minutes...throw it away. i wonder how long it takes to throw a tree away? doesnt sound right does it. so...yesterday i used neither paper plates nor towels..but in the stead i used 1 knife, 1 fork, 1 spoon and 1 plate, 1 bowl, and 1 glass and a cup all day. that reminds me of a story. anyway we shall see how long the paper saving lasts.

the story: [this is true ]:

years ago living in tarpon springs we were preparing to move from shakey flats to an apartment..carol and the kids [3] and myself..on banana street. i decided it would be in our favor to limit our selves to each person 1 each..knife,fork, spoon, plate, bowl,glass, cup. so that is what we took with us. this served us ok. months later for thanksgiving we invited a herd of people over for dinner. in time we realized there was no tableware for the guests so we contacted each of them and advised them to please bring their own. so without another thought they did. they each brought his own tableware and we had a grand thanksgiving. when they left alas most of them left their utensils so since then we have been back to a drawer and sinkful of kitchen stuff.

this painting was started in florida but i recently finished it up here. it was at first a more idyllic scene but i changed it to be more truthful. most of the condos remain unsold or are in forclosure as a result of greed. just up the street from our house here is a creek which shamefully looks a lot like the one in the painting because of nothing other than thoughtlessness.

the painting is mixed media 16x20 on canvas. it drew a lot of attention at avondale and was displayed at my brothers annual christmas party but remains unsold..as do countless others.

panting: this morning carol said that ebbie's panting made her want to go back to sleep. im not sure i understand that but i did realize that pant is one of those words that i like. pant. doesnt it sound nice? and you would almost know what it was just from the word itsself. say it. panting.

enough ..im headed for the bank and the library.

good fortune

in the beginning

first day of the new blog. i will try to publish daily or at least semi regularly. i will be posting images of art..mostly mine, rants, raves, views on the news and news, items from lipscomb al and more.

feel free to comment . try not to be a jerk. i like comments on my art positive or negative but dont go into a full blown critique.

about this painting: it isnt me. it was painted last year and sold at the avondale art in the park '07. 16x20 acrylic on canvas. a streetcorner busker or a symphony violinist?? ...cant judge books by .....

it will be interesting to see how the blog goes.

tis the season